Natalie Lloyd-Beavis and George Baker, both regular raiders, will be represented by Doctor Parkes and Barwick, respectively.
The latter beat Aussie Lyrics by three lengths last August, giving 11 lb, but the Jersey Derby winner got his revenge on 3 lb better terms in April. None of the declared runners in the field are up to Aussie Lyrics’ ability and Barwick, who most recently ran in a hot Epsom handicap on Derby day, could score his second local success.
Doctor Parkes is a great old stager; he’s 12 and has run 121 times, winning 13. Formerly trained by Stuart Williams at Newmarket, he joined Natalie Lloyd-Beavis last season and was second at L’Ancresse in May. He beat Country Blue and Fruit Salad, both of who oppose again tomorrow. Lloyd-Beavis also runs Dancing Dragon against Barwick in the last race, but this filly is a maiden and may need to be cut some slack by the handicapper.
Fortunately, the local teams of both champion trainer Christa Gilbert and Tony Le Brocq, having been given clean bills of health, will be back in action so the programme has a much more balanced and competitive look than the last fixture, which was poorly attended.
The main event, a nine-furlong handicap, sees the return of Black Night who will again be ridden by French jockey Davy Delalande.
The handicapper raised his rating by 5 lb after his last easy success; he now runs off a mark of 99 and will have to give 18 lb to Ice Royal, 31 lb to Flutterbee and 34 lb and more to the others.
As the old saying goes, weight can stop a train, so one of these days the handicapper will set him too tough a task.
In the seven-furlong handicap Sing Something, unbeaten in two starts this season, has earned top weight. National Service, dropped 4 lb after a lack lustre performance last time is now 8 lb below his mark at the start of the season and, if returning to something like last year’s form, in receipt of almost two stones could bustle up the likely favourite.
The first race of this popular fixture starts at 6.30 and, if you’ve never experienced midsummer evening at Les Landes, you don’t know what you’re missing.
